The ‘I Hate Mondays’ Burger

This recipe is one that I’ve had for some years now, an adaptation of Bill Granger’s recipe for Spaghetti with Spicy Meatballs. I’ve modified the meatball recipe and used it for making my own meatballs, and on the odd occasion, into hamburger patties for some of the most ah-mazing hamburgers you will ever taste.

It was last Monday when I made this, after having not made this for a very long while. I was having such a horrid day at work that when I considered what to make for dinner that evening, I thought of this. And after I ate it, it made everything better. So I have called it the ‘I Hate Mondays’ Burger. I hope that if you’re having a similarly horrible day, it will work its wonders and rejuvenate you as it did me, or if you’re having a pretty good day already, that it simply top it off.

To serve two people for meatballs or hamburgers, you will need:

40ml milk;

1 slice bread, no crust (if you’re making hamburgers, hollow out the bread from the top part of your hamburger bun and use this – approximate how much one slice is yourself…);

250g mince (I use pork, but use beef if you prefer);

1/3 brown onion, chopped finely;

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley;

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme;

1 egg, lightly beaten;

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated;

1 garlic clove, minced;

salt and black pepper;

2 tablespoons olive oil.

Shred the bread into a small heatproof bowl and pour the milk over it. Microwave it in 20 second intervals on Medium until the milk has been all absorbed by the bread. Mash with a fork and allow to cool. This takes place of traditional breadcrumbs that most recipes call for in order to bind the ingredients together – I find this substitution frankly amazing.

Combine the meat, onion, parsley, thyme, egg, Parmesan, garlic, and the bread mix into a bowl. Unfortunately I don’t have any fresh parsley in my garden at the moment so I made do with some dried stuff and an extra dose of thyme.

Mix enthusiastically with a large spoon until all combined. Add lots of salt and pepper and mix again.

Wet your hands before shaping the mix into patties or meatballs. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat and when the oil is hot, add the patties/meatball

One side is done when you can smell a little bit of char. Brown them on all sides, turning carefully. Drain off any excess oil, and if you’re making meatballs, pour in your tomato sauce of choice, or if you’re making burgers, you’ve completed your patties. The rest is up to you for what you put into your hamburger, but if you like you can follow me.

I cut open a sourdough roll, toasted both sides and tenderly placed a patty on the base before slicing a few balls of baby bocconcini over it.

I had a few beautiful Swiss brown mushrooms which I gently sauteed with some butter before layering them on top of the cheese.

I had picked a few basil leaves from the herb garden so had chopped those up roughly before balancing them on top of the mushrooms. I then spooned over a couple of spoonfuls of a lovely tomato relish.

Topped with baby spinach leaves, then carefully placed the hollow-ed out top over the whole thing…

A piece of art, if I do say so myself 😉 Have a beautiful week, lovelies xx

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The patty looks great. Never would have thought to soak bread in milk to substitute bread crumbs? I suppose it keeps it moist this way? Think I need to try this method. By the way, love the addition of sauteed mushrooms and tomato relish to the burger. They just take it to a new level.

Holy molyyyy finally found a patty recipe that I think I like! And lol at how you pile on the bocconcini, gotta love that stuff. This is just me being nitpicky, but doesn’t the spinach make the whole thing a bit soggy?

I chose to use raw baby spinach leaves for one reason – because they’re flatter! Normally I find using curly lettuce leaves a pain in burgers as they keep lifting up the burger lid and take up more space with less leaves, but I guess if you chopped up some iceberg it would do just as well as the spinach 🙂

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I'm Cath at Confessions of a Glutton. I'm a cheesecake-devouring, sushi-craving, ramen-obsessed, salted-caramel-lover who is also a dance fitness instructor and a solicitor, living in the Northern Suburbs of the glorious city that is Sydney, Australia. These are my ramblings.